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Seeds of Opportunity: an Assessment of the Benefits, Safety, and Oversight of Plant Genomics and Agricultural Biotechnology

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Seeds of Opportunity: an Assessment of the Benefits, Safety, and Oversight of Plant Genomics and Agricultural Biotechnology 19 Biotechnology Law Report 449 Number 4 (August 2000) Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. {BLR 3143} [COMMITTEE PRINT 106-B] SEEDS OF OPPORTUNITY: AN ASSESSMENT OF THE BENEFITS, SAFETY, AND OVERSIGHT OF PLANT GENOMICS AND AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY REPORT PREPARED BY CHAIRMAN NICK SMITH OF THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON BASIC RESEARCH AND TRANSMITTED TO THE COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE FOR THE ONE HUNDRED SIXTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION April 13, 2000 Printed for the use of the Committee on Science This document has been printed for informational purposes only and does not represent either findings or recommendations adopted by this Committee. 449 450 Biotechnology Law Report Volume 19, Number 4 LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL April 13, 2000 The Honorable James F. Sensenbrenner, Jr. Chairman Committee on Science U.S. House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 Dear Mr. Chairman: I am submitting herewith a Chairman’s Report providing an assessment of the benefits, safety, and oversight of plant genomics and agricultural biotechnology. It is a summation of the findings of a series of three hearings held during the First Session of the 106 th Congress by the Subcommittee on Basic Research entitled, “Plant Genome Science: From the Lab to the Field to the Market.” Agricultural biotechnology has come of age. It is referred to under different names—genetic engineering, gene splicing, bioengineering, recombinant DNA technology. But no matter the name used to describe it, this technology represents the latest tool in the continuum of techniques that plant breeders have developed and adopted over centuries. What is truly powerful about this technology is that it allows individual, well-characterized genes to be transferred from one organism to another, thus increasing the genetic diversity available to improve important commercial crop plants. The potential benefits to mankind are limited only by the resourcefulness of our scientists. Biotechnology has been used safely for many years to develop new and useful products used in a variety of industries. More than a thousand products have now been approved for marketing, and many more are being developed. These products include dozens of therapeutics, including human insulin for diabetics, growth factors used in bone marrow transplants, products for treating heart attacks, hundreds of diagnostic tests for AIDS, hepatitis, and other infectious agents, enzymes used in food production, such as those used for cheese, and many others. Biotechnology Law Report Volume 19, Number 4 451 The Hon. F. James Sensenbrenner. Jr. April 13, 2000 Page two And this is just the beginning. In agriculture, new plant varieties created with these techniques will offer foods with better taste, more nutrition, and longer shelf life, and farmers will be able to grow these improved varieties more efficiently, leading to lower costs for consumers and greater environmental protection. Soybeans that produce high oleic oil containing less saturated fat and requiring less processing, cotton plants that fight pests or produce naturally-colored cotton reducing the need for chemical dyes, and bananas that deliver vaccines to fight enteric diseases are just a few examples of what is in store. While millions of lives all over the world have been protected and enriched by biotechnology, its application to agriculture has been coming under attack by well-financed activist groups. The controversy they have generated revolves around three basic questions: (1) are agricultural biotechnology and classical breeding methods conceptually the same; (2) are these products safe to eat; and (3) are they safe for the environment? The testimony and other material made available to the Subcommittee lead me to conclude that the answer to all three questions is a resounding, “Yes.” In fact, modern biotechnology is so precise, and so much more is known about the changes being made, that plants produced using this technology may be even safer than traditionally-bred plants. This Report contains background information on the development and oversight of plant genetics and agricultural biotechnology, a summary of Subcommittee hearings and my findings and recommendations based on these hearings. I hope that it will be of use to you and to other Members of Congress, the Administration, States, and the general public interested in gaining a greater appreciation of the incredible potential of plant genomics and agricultural biotechnology. Sincerely, NICK SMITH Chairman Subcommittee on Basic Research 452 Biotechnology Law Report Volume 19, Number 4 CONTENTS Summary............................................................................................................................................ Introduction........................................................................................................................................ Subcommittee Hearings..................................................................................................................... Background........................................................................................................................................ A Brief History of Plant Genetics and Agricultural Biotechnology..................... ................. The Science of Genetics Comes of Age..................................................................... Genetics and Classical Plant Breeding....................................................................... The Advent of Agricultural Biotechnology...................... ......................................... Plant Genome Research ......................................................................................................... Oversight of Agricultural Biotechnology..................... ......................................................... The Responsibility of the Plant Breeder..................... ............................................... Coordinated Framework and Statement on Scope..................................................... U.S. Department of Agriculture................................................................................. Environmental Protection Agency............................................................................. Insect Resistance Management...................................................................... Proposed Plant Pesticide Rule........................................................................ Food and Drug Administration..................... ............................................................. Findings.............................................................................................................................................. Plant Genome Research ......................................................................................................... Chemical Inputs...................... ............................................................................................... Pest-Resistant Plants .................................................................................................. Herbicide-Tolerant Plants .......................................................................................... Plant Pathogens.......................................................................................................... Consumer Benefits and Global Food Production..................... ............................................. Improving Environmental Stress Tolerance .............................................................. Improving Nutrition with Biotech Foods................................................................... Preventing and Curing Disease.................................................................................. Providing Renewable Resources................................................................................ Assessing Risks...................................................................................................................... Outcrossing..................... ....................................................................................................... Pest-Resistant Crops and the Potential for Pesticide-Resistant Insects ................................. Monarch Butterfly.................................................................................................................. Allergens and Toxins...................... ....................................................................................... Allergens.................................................................................................................... Toxins......................................................................................................................... Antibiotic Resistance ............................................................................................................. Substantial Equivalence......................................................................................................... Labeling...................... ........................................................................................................... Regulation.............................................................................................................................. U.S. Department of Agriculture................................................................................. Biotechnology Law Report Volume 19, Number 4 453 Proposed Organic Standards.......................................................................... Environmental Protection
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